


Um...Thanks...

by RoseLaflesh



Series: Learning to Dance [6]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Amidot, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Knitting, Never insult your girlfriend, Peridot Being Difficult, Ugly Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 02:39:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8233160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseLaflesh/pseuds/RoseLaflesh
Summary: Peridot has taken up knitting and has made a sweater for Amethyst. However, it's not very good and Amethyst isn't sure how to tell Peridot.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, back to fluff pieces. I'm going to try and release a new Learning to Dance story every Tuesday and Friday until November since my NaNoWriMo pieces is going to be a novel length entry to the series. If I get things done quickly enough, I'll probably write some other stories as well.

Amethyst raised up her arms in a satisfied stretch. Today was definitely a day well spent. First she became a rabid squirrel and chased around some of the tourists, then she enjoyed the sun on the beach, and finally she stuffed herself with a pizza she managed to sneak when no one was looking. Without a doubt, this was a good day for her.

As she walked back up the steps, she could hear Steven and Peridot talking about something. She grinned to herself. There was nothing better than finishing up an already good day by hanging around two of her favorite people. However, when she walked through the door, she realized that she might have been a little hasty in assuming fun was to be had.

Steven and Peridot were sitting on the couch, knitting. Yarn was strewn everywhere, and Steven was already sporting a multicolored scarf that had more holes in it than the Kindergarten. 

“Hey,” Amethyst said, approaching slowly, “What have you guys been up to?”

“Hi, Amethyst,” Steven said, “I’ve been teaching Peridot to knit. She works really fast! She finished this scarf in less than an hour. Can you believe it?”

“Yeah, I can believe it.” Amethyst wondered how the scarf wasn’t falling apart when Steven lifted it up to show her. “So, why knitting?” Amethyst looked to Peridot, but she was so consumed with working on her current piece that she didn’t respond.

“Well, Peridot was looking for something practical to distract her from her fan fictions, so I figured knitting would be a good option because it takes a long time to do and you get clothes in the end. I didn’t think she’d pick it up so fast.”

While Amethyst could debate on how practical that was, she was happy her girlfriend was getting new hobbies, so she just smiled and agreed.

“Done!” Peridot announced a few seconds later.

Steven checked the time on his phone. “Wow, Peridot, you finished a whole sweater in two hours!”

“Wow,” Amethyst said as Peridot lifted up the sweater to show it off, “That thing is ugly!” While it had fewer missed stitches than the scarf, it was still a confusing mess of unflattering colors, misshapen with a weird lumpy circle just under the collar. 

“It’s for you!” Peridot said cheerfully like she didn’t hear Amethyst insult the sweater.

“Wait? What!” Amethyst now realized that the only reason a hole would be at the neck like that was to allow for a gem. She really didn’t want to put that thing on. “…Thanks…”

Peridot handed Amethyst the sweater. “Try it on.”

The thing felt even flimsier than it looked. “It’s not really my style.”

“Come on, Amethyst, she worked really hard on it,” Steven insisted, “You could at least put it on for a little bit.”

Amethyst looked around to make sure that nobody else was nearby to see her put it on. With the coast clear, Amethyst slipped it on over her head, wiggling it into place. It wasn’t quite the right size. The bottom of the sweater reached just over her knees, meanwhile her gem barely popped out of the bottom of the opening at the top. The arms were the right length, but they were far too narrow and Amethyst could feel them strain against her form. 

“One second,” Amethyst stretched her torso and narrowed her arms so that the sweater would not tear from a wrong move. “Now it fits. Thanks, Peridot, I really like this… hole.”

“It’s a star,” Peridot explained.

As Amethyst looked at it, the hole at the top did vaguely resemble a star, if the star was made out of clay and then stomped on. “I see.” Amethyst quickly took the sweater off and let her form shift back to her natural shape. “Well thanks. I can see you worked very hard on this.” 

Amethyst tried to hand the sweater back to Peridot, but she wasn’t taking it. “You don’t like it?” Peridot looked like she was about to cry.

“No, that’s not it. I like it, I really do. Thank you for making it.” Amethyst hugged the sweater close like it was a blanket.

“Then why are you trying to give it back?”

“I’m not. It’s just that it’s so special, I don’t want to ruin it. Something like this should only be worn on special occasions like holidays and anniversaries and stuff like that. Besides, my room is such a mess that I don’t want to risk losing it. I know you’d take the best care of it.”

Peridot sighed. “If you don’t like it, just say so. I can take it.”

Amethyst took a deep breath, already feeling bad for what she was about to say. “I don’t like it. I’m happy that you made it, but it’s really not my style.”

“What don’t you like about it? Tell me.” Peridot seemed to have trouble with controlling her volume.

“It’s just not my style… and the sleeves are a little too narrow. Besides, I’m sure if you practice some more, you’ll become better at it. I bet soon you’ll even stop dropping stitches.”

“So you hate it?”

“I didn’t say I hated it.” Amethyst began feeling cornered. She couldn’t understand why everything she said made Peridot angry.

“Uh, Peridot, why don’t you calm down, it’s just a sweater,” Steven said.

“But I made it for her. Why can’t the things I make for Amethyst work?” She buried her face in a ball of blue yarn.

“What do you mean, things you make for me?” Amethyst asked, “What have you made for me?”

“So many things, but none of them held together.” Peridot used the yarn to wipe away her tears. “I tried making a statue out of metal for you, but that fell apart. I tried writing a fan fiction where Percy and Pierre are essentially us, but it meant writing them too out of character for my liking. And that’s just to start with all the things that never worked out. This is the first thing I made for you that actually seemed to look like anything I meant it to.”

Amethyst let out a defeated sigh, put on the sweater and sat next to Peridot, putting an arm around her. She cringed at the feeling of the stitches straining against her arm, like they were ready to unravel at any moment. “Percy, you don’t have to make anything for me.”

“Isn’t that what couples do? You’re the first gem I’ve ever had these feelings for. I’m scared that if I do things wrong, we’ll go back to just friends, or worse. Lately you’ve done so much for me, but all I’ve done is get upset.” Peridot began tracing formless lines along Amethyst’s thigh. “Everything feels so much more intense when I’m around you, and I don’t know how to deal with it.”

“Aw, Peridot,” Steven said with wide teary eyes, “It’s going to be okay.”

“Look, you really don’t have to try so hard with me. I don’t need gifts or stories or big romantic gestures. Just stay here beside me. That’s all I need.”

Peridot sniffled. “Okay.” She wrapped her arms around Amethyst. They cuddled for a few moments before Peridot asked. “Just for clarification, when you say I should stay beside you, do you mean literally or figuratively?”

“Come here you nerd.” Amethyst laughed and pulled Peridot in for a noogie when they heard a series of small popping sounds coming from Amethyst’s back. 

“Uh-oh,” Amethyst said as she took off the sweater to examine it. A stitch had come loose and pulled a huge hole along the back of the sweater from shoulder to shoulder.

“Oh, I guess I probably should have taken your measurements before making it,” Peridot said sheepishly, “I just kind of wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Yeah, maybe no more surprise gifts,” Amethyst said.

“Yeah,” Peridot agreed as she moved to take the sweater from Amethyst.

Amethyst stood up, taking the sweater out of Peridot’s reach. “You know, I think I might keep it. Now that it’s loosened up a bit, I think it might be more my style after all.” 

Peridot stood up, but Amethyst was already taking the sweater to her room. 

“Does that mean you really do like it?” Peridot asked, hesitantly.

“Like it? I love it,” Amethyst gave Peridot a flirtatious smile, “Just like I love you.” She then blew Peridot a kiss before the door closed behind her.

Steven and Peridot stood there stunned. “Wow, I can’t believe she finally said it out loud,” Peridot said quietly to herself, “And I think I finally know what makes her say it.”

“Say what?”

“I love you. I know what she needs. She needs me to be upset. Every time I’m upset about something, she says it in one way or another. If things stay bad, then things can stay good.” Peridot grabbed her tablet and started writing this down.

“Um… Peridot, I don’t think that’s how it works.” 

“Maybe for most people, but Amethyst is special. Now that I’ve figured this out, I can be the best girlfriend ever.” Peridot ran to the warp, laughing.

Before Steven could object anymore, Peridot was already warping away. Steven sighed and looked to the door of the temple. 

“I should probably warn them,” He said to himself.


End file.
